Perth’s oldest surviving public building is the “Old Court Law Museum” located next to what is now Western Australia’s Supreme Court building. Designed in the Classical Greek Revival style, this was the first Court in the city. In 1836, Governor James Stirling ordered the construction of a Court house close to the Swan River shoreline. Construction was completed by December of 1836, with the first Court session being held on February 2, 1837. As the largest building in the colony at the time, it also served as a meeting hall, a place of worship, and as the first Perth Boys School. Between 1863 and 1879, the building functioned as Western Australia’s Supreme Court. By the end of that period, the government decided to construct a new building dedicated to being the highest state Court in WA, with unlimited jurisdiction over civil matters , as well as the most serious criminal cases. The foundation of the new Supreme Court building was laid in 1902 and construction completed in 1903. Once that was done, the older building served as a law library for the Supreme Court until 1974, when it was converted into the Law Museum. Named after James Stirling, the first governor of Western Australia, these gardens lead to the Supreme Court and the Old Court Law Museum buildings. As the first Court building in Perth, and now the oldest surviving public building in the city, the Old Court Law Museum at one time served as the Supreme Court for Western Australia (WA). Located next to the Old Court Law Museum, the current Supreme Court building serves as the highest Court in Western Australia. This Court has “...unlimited jurisdiction over civil matters, as well as over the most serious criminal cases.” Its main lobby presents one of the most impressive images we’ve experienced in the Court houses during our travels. In 1837, when the first Court in Perth opened ;now part of the Old Court Law Museum), it was the largest public building in the city...so it served multiple purposes (e.g. a meeting hall, house of worship, and as the first Perth Boys School. Judge Judy, watch out... there’s a new judge in town.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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